Underwater respiration apparatus



April 1963 A. NOVELLI ETA]. 3,085,571

UNDERWATER RESP IRATION APPARATUS Filed Jan. 5, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 6Supply 0 Rtspiralory Gas 9 Uni- Direcfi'onal Valve Iz I I I HingeMcufhpieu April 16, 1963 A. NOVELLI ETAL UNDERWATER RESPIRATIONAPPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 3, 1958 United States Patent Ofiice 3,085,571 Patented Apr. 16, 1963 3,085,571 UNDERWATER RESPIRATIONAPPARATUS Alberto Novelli and Pietro Buggiani, both of 46 Via Solfatara,Naples, Italy Filed Jan. 3, 1958, Ser. No. 706,989 4 Claims. (Cl.128-142) The present invention relates to underwater respirationapparatus and, in particular, to a provision thereof wherein a portionof the gases exhausted during the expiration phase may be reused duringthe following inspiration phase. Preferably, the gases exhausted fromthe expiration phase are purified by freeing them of carbon dioxideprior to their reuse in the inspiration phase.

In conventional underwater respiration apparatus, the underwater swimmermust carry a large air cylinder or bottle to permit him to remain underthe surface of the Water for any considerable period of time. As willhereinafter appear, the present invention permits the storing of aportion of the gases exhausted during the inspiration phase for reuseduring the following inspiration phase; therefore, for apparatusdesigned for equal operating ranges, the present invention permits areduction in the size of the air cylinder or bottle which would normallybe employed in the conventional underwater respiration apparatus.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide an underwaterrespiration apparatus of the type referred to above wherein theapparatus itself provides for the storage of a portion of the gasesexhausted during the expiration phase, the stored portion being reusedduring the following inspiration phase.

Other and further objects of the present invention will hereinafter morefully appear in connection with a detailed description of the drawingsin which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section through the bellows unit of the presentinvention, showing the various parts in the relative positions whichthey would occupy during the inspiration phase, and further showing,diagrammatically, connections to a supply of respiratory gas, auni-directional valve and a mouthpiece;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 showing the various parts in therelative positions which they would occupy during the expiration phase;

FIGURE 3 is a section view taken along section line 33 of FIGURE 1,showing the details of one of the supports for the Bowden connection andthe screw which operates the lever for the inlet valve;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary elevation showing the details of the elementsoperating against the left-hand end (referring to FIGURE 1) of the cableassociated with the Bowden connection.

Referring to the drawings in detail, FIGURE 1 shows a lung box formed byplates 1 and 2 which are conveniently hinged adjacent their lower endsso as to articulate at an angle in the manner of a book or a shell.Around the peripheral edges 3 and 4 of plates 1 and 2, respectively, awater tight diaphragm 5 is applied so as to form the lung box referredto above, the same having a variable volume which can be effected byrelative articulation of the plates 1 and 2.

A conventional inlet or supply valve 6 is appropriately received in asuitable opening in the plate 1 and a fitting 7 permits the connectionof this valve 6 to a bottle or cylinder of air :as indicated by therectangle labeled Supply of Respiratory Gas shown in FIGURE 1.

A threaded screw 8 '(see also FIGURE 4) passes through a suitable holein the lower end of the plate 1 and engages at its inner end a slidableretaining piece 11 suitably received within a space between two parallelguides 10. The screw 8 is provided with a knob or button 9 to permit theturning of the screw; a gasket 12 is provided between the knob and theplate 1. A spring 13 bears against inner side of the plate 1 and againstthe retaining piece 11 so as to insure a continuous seal from the gasket12.

A lever 14, having its lower end shaped in the form of a circularsector, is pivotally mounted, as at 15, adjacent its upper end on a lugprojecting inwardly from the plate 2.

Adjacent the lower end of the plate 2, a tube 16 is received in asuitable opening in the plate; and a hose 17 connects from the tube 16to a mouthpiece at the other end of the hose as indicated by therectangle labeled Mouthpiece shown in FIGURE 1. A Bowden-typeconnection, later to be described, is operatively connected between thebellows unit shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 and a suitable uni-directionalexhaust valve indicated by the rectangle labeled Uni-directional Valveshown in FIGURE 1 located adjacent the mouthpiece for opening thisuni-directional valve when the lung box has expanded a predeterminedamount so as to permit the final portion of the exhaust gases to bevented into the water.

The operation of this Bowden-type connection is essentially conventionaland will not be described in further detail except briefly as follows:The external sheath 18 of the Bowden connection is retained, at itsleft-hand end, against an adequate support 19 attached to the inside ofthe tube 16, while the internal cable portion 20 (of the Bowdenconnection), having a ball 21 at its lefthand end, is received in asuitable slot at the lower end of the lever 14. The sheath 18 and thecable 20 of the Bowden connection are movable relative to one another attheir respective left-hand ends according to the degree of pivotalmovement between the plates 1 and 2; a corresponding movement at theright-hand ends (not shown) of the sheath 18 and the cable 20 will causeoperation of the uni-directional valve located near the mouthpiece inthe manner indicated above.

A lever 24 is pivotally mounted adjacent its upper end on the valve 6. Ascrew 20 suitably threaded in a support within the tube 16 bears againstthe lower end of the lever 24 and provides an adjustable means forcontrolling the opening of the interior port on the valve 6.

On the interior side of the plate 2 there is mounted a tank 22 which isprovided with a plurality of holes, in the manner of a filter, and whichprefer-ably contains a substance, such as soda lime, for removing carbondioxide from the gas within the bellows unit. The tank 22 may berefilled from the outside through the plug 23.

In operation, the gas exhausted into the mouthpiece during theexpiration phase passes through the hose 17 and the tube 16, enteringthe lung box and thereby causing a relative movement between the plates1 and 2. This latter movement increases the volume of the lung box so asto store therein a portion of the gases exhausted during the expirationphase. The extent to which the plates 1 and 2 will be permitted to pivotrelative to one another will be determined by the relative position ofthe slidable retaining piece 11, the adjustment for which is provided bythe threaded screw 8. Any carbon dioxide present in the air exhaustedinto the lung box will be removed by the material contained in the tank22.

As indicated heretofore, the plates 1 and 2 will pivot angularly withrespect to one another so as to provide a lung box of increased volumeduring the expiration phase; at this time, the support 19 on the tube 16will move relative to the plate 1 and the sheath 18 of the Bowdenconnection will be moved towards the right relative to the cable 20which remains in fixed position against the lower end of the lever 14.Also, as indicated heretofore, this relative movement between the sheath18 and the cable 20 of the Bowden connection will cause operation of thesuitable one-way valve connected to the hose 17 adjacent the mouthpiecesuch that, while a predetermined volume of exhausted air is stored inthe lung box shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, any remaining exhaust gasesexpired in the same expiration phase of this relative movement will bevented into the water. The one-way valve referred to above isuni-directional in the sense that it prevents water from coming into theapparatus but permits excess exhaust gases to be vented therefrom in themanner described above.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, at the start of the inspiration phase, thegas stored in the lung box from the preceding expiration phase will bedrawn towards the mouthpiece and the plates 1 and 2 will be movedrelatively towards one another until, at a subsequent time as determinedby the position of the screw 20' relative to the lower end of the lever24, the inlet valve 6 is opened so as to permit the introduction of airfrom the cylinder or bottle into the interior of the lung chamber tocompensate for any gas not supplied by the lung chamber itself.

The same operations as described above will be repeated for subsequentexpiration and inspiration phases.

As shown in the drawings, the lung box of the present invention, besidesits specific function of storing all or a portion of the gases exhaustedduring the expiration phase, serves also to conduct the supply of airfrom the bottle to the hose 17 connecting with the mouthpiece; however,it should be understood that the fresh supply of air need notnecessarily pass through the lung box, such that passage from the supplyto the hose 17 can be in parallel with, rather than in series with, thelung box.

With regard to FIGURE 2, it will be noted that plate 2 appears to bemovable whereas plate 1 apparently remains stationary. It should bepointed out that the reverse condition might be true or that both platescould be movable simultaneously.

Other and further modifications of the novel apparatus illustrated anddescribed herein, apart from those shown or suggested above, might bemade within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

We claim:

1. In an underwater respiration apparatus including a mouthpiece, asupply of respiratory gas, a hose leading from said mouthpiece to saidsupply, an exhaust valve associated with said hose for venting exhaustgases from said apparatus during an expiration phase, and an inlet valveconnected to said supply for introducing gas into said hose during aninspiration phase, the improvement which comprises a lung box connectedto said hose be tween said inlet and exhaust valves, said lung boxcomprising two hinged plates and a flexible diaphragm connected to theedges of said plates so as to form a hermetically sealed bellows,whereby said hinged plates open and close in the manner of a sea-shellto increase and decrease the volume of said lung box during theexpiration and inspiration phases respectively, a first meansoperatively associated with said plates for controlling the opening ofsaid exhaust valve when said plates open a predetermined amount duringan expiration phase, whereby a predetermined volume of gas expiredduring an expiration phase is stored in said lung box and whereby anyexpired gas exceeding said predetermined volume passes through saidexhaust valve, means mounted within said lung box for purifying theexpired gas stored in said lung box, and a second means operativelyassociated with said plates for opening said inlet valve when said twoplates close a predetermined amount during an inspiration phase, wherebythe purified expired gas is inspired during said inspiration phasetogether with a fresh quantity of gas obtained from said supply.

2. An underwater respiration apparatus as set forth in claim 1 whereinsaid first means operatively associated with said plates includes acable connected at one end to a retaining element mounted at apredetermined distance from one of said plates and a slidable sheathmounted on said cable and connected at one end to the other of saidplates, the other ends of said cable and said sheath being connected tosaid exhaust valve, whereby upon relative hinged movement between saidtwo plates said cable will move relative to said sheath so as to effectthe opening and closing of said exhaust valve.

3. An underwater respiration apparatus as set forth in claim 1 whereinsaid inlet valve is mounted on one plate, and wherein the second meansoperatively associated between said plates includes a lever pivotallymounted on said valve and having an arm extending into operativeengagement with the other plate whereby, as the two plates move hingedlywith respect to one another, said inlet valve is opened and closed bysaid lever.

4. An underwater respiration apparatus as set forth in claim 2 includingan adjustable means connected between said retainingelement and said oneplate for varying the predetermined distance between said retainingelement and said one plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,839,980 Luchs et al Jan. 5, 1932 2,310,189 Deming Feb. 2, 19432,523,906 Holmes Dec. 28, 1943 2,900,977 Marsh Aug. 25, 1959 FOREIGNPATENTS 627,537 Germany Mar. 18, 1936 62,797 Norway Aug. 5, 1940

1. IN AN UNDERWATER RESPIRATION APPARATUS INCLUDING A MOUTHPIECE, ASUPPLY OF RESPIRATORY GAS, A HOSE LEADING FROM SAID MOUTHPIECE TO SAIDSUPPLY, AN EXHAUST VALVE A SOCIATED WITH SAID HOSE FOR VENTING EXHAUSTGASES FROM SAID APPARATUS DURING AN EXPIRATION PHASE, AND AN INLET VALVECONNECTED TO SAID SUPPLY FOR INTRODUCING GAS INTO SAID HOSE DURING ANINSPIRATION PHASE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES A LUNG BOX CONNECTEDTO SAID HOSE BETWEEN SAID INLET AND EXHAUST VALVES, SAID LUNG BOXCOMPRISING TWO HINGED PLATES AND A FLEXIBLE DIAPHRAGM CONNECTED TO THEEDGES OF SAID PLATES SO AS TO FORM A HERMETICALLY SEALED BELLOWS,WHEREBY SAID HINGED PLATES OPEN AND CLOSE IN THE MANNER OF A SEA-SHELLTO INCREASE AND DECREASE THE VOLUME OF SAID LUNG BOX DURING THEEXPIRATION AND INSPIRATION PHASES RESPECTIVELY, A FIRST MEANSOPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID PLATES FOR CONTROLLING THE OPENING OFSAID EXHAUST VALVE WHEN SAID PLATED OPEN A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT DURINGAN EXPIRATION PHASE, WHEREBY A PREDETERMINED VOLUME OF GAS EXPIREDDURING AN EXPIRATION PHASE IS STORED IN SAID LUNG BOX AND WHEREBY ANYEXPIRED GAS EXCEEDING SAID PREDETERMINED VOLUME PASSES THROUGH SAIDEXHAUST VALVE, MEANS MOUNTED WITHIN SAID LUNG BOX FOR PURIFYING THEEXPIRED GAS STORED IN SAID LUNG BOX, AND A SECOND MEANS OPERATIVELYASSOCIATED WITH SAID PLATES FOR OPENING SAID INLET VALVE WHEN SAID TWOPLATES CLOSE A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT DURING AN INSPIRATION PHASE, WHEREBYTHE PURIFIED EXPIRED GAS IS INSPIRED DURING SAID INSPIRATION PHASETOGETHER WITH A FRESH QUANTITY OF GAS OBTAINED FROM SAID SUPPLY.